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Mitsunori
Koike began work as a stone sculptor in Matsumoto, Japan in 1971.
His early years were spent in Burlington, Vermont and Carrara, Italy,
after which he traveled extensively in Europe to participate in
large scale group projects such as the Lindabrunn sculpture symposium
in Lindabrunn, Austria.
Since 1984, Koike has worked at Hannoki Studio in Hara Village,
Japan. His monuments and sculptures in granite and other stone are
found in schools, gardens, hospitals, corporations and government
offices throughout Japan.
Koike devotes much of his time to organizing public art events like
the Environmental Forum's "Stone and Human" open-air exhibition
in the Nagano Exposition in 1992. In 1996, Koike initiated the organization
of Fukashi Gallery, a noncommercial gallery in Matsumoto, Japan
which specializes in stone sculpture and public art planning.
Koike worked as a resident artist at the Carving Studio in West
Rutland in 1993 and 2001. He is an active member of the sculpture
symposium community, and has recently participated in symposia in
Canada, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.
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